Salesforce is entering the crowded market for enterprise app stores. The company has announced that it is releasing its popular AppExchange platform for mobile. The user interface for AppExchange has been modified for mobile. It now recognizes a user’s smartphone or a tablet and allows access to almost 40 apps specifically tailored to the mobile experience, from Dragon for Salesforce to Concur to Chatter and more.
The point is to give an easy interface for Salesforce related apps. AppExchange Mobile supports native or HMTL5 Web apps for Android and iOS and filters it for smartphone and tablet users.
It is actually quite tame. All it really will be is a window to Salesforce-related apps with a mobile user interface. Companies like Verizon have created enterprise-based apps stores with more apps and more granularity of control. For instance, Verizon has the ability to let the network administrator segment apps by department (accounting, IT, marketing etc.). Salesforce does not do that but said it will look into administrator controls in the future.
There will be both free and paid apps in AppExchange Mobile. All the standard Salesforce apps are there, including Salesforce Viewer for iPad, Chatter, Dragon for Salesforce and HTML5 Contact Viewer.
Here is a fuller list of apps available in AppExchange Mobile: Advanced Image Direct, Apttus, Cameleon, Concur, Docusign, Drawloop, Field Day, FinancialForce, Foretuit, Get Satisfaction, Group Logic, Infuze Mobile, Model Metrics, PepperMob, Proximiti, Red Funnel Consulting LLC, Scan Biz, ServiceMax, Spectacle, Sylpheo and Xactly.
Not included are developer tools and functionality that can help create enterprise-grade apps. Salesforce offers developer tools through its Developer Force channel, though that is not specifically aimed at mobile developers.
AppExchange Mobile will certainly help enterprise users who are deeply tied to Salesforce products. App stores in general make it much easier for IT departments to spread applications and updates throughout a company. The original Salesforce AppExchange is still a very popular enterprise-grade application solution with all the security backings and cloud support of Salesforce. The mobile version is an extension of that. What it lacks for in originality it makes up for in functionality.
